This dish will be popular even for those who aren’t normally fond of sweet and sour. I for one am not a fan of sweet and sour pork in most Chinese restaurants because the sauce is too sweet and overpowers the pork and vegetables. But my skinny version has a delightful, delicate sauce not overly sweet or thick. Plus it’s full of veggies and pineapple chunks. Each skinny serving has 261 calories and 4g fat. I love it served over steamed cabbage or even broccoli slaw. My skinny facts include steamed cabbage. Or, serve over ½ cup white or brown rice, if desired.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into ½ inch pieces, see shopping tips
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh garlic, chopped
- 1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks in natural juice, undrained
- ⅓ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 packages Stevia, Truvia, Splenda, or your favorite sugar substitute
- 2 teaspoons ginger, from a jar, see shopping tips
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Ingredients for Serving:
- 6½ cups shredded cabbage
Instructions
- Add the pork pieces, onions, carrots, celery, red bell peppers, and garlic to the crock-pot.
- In a small bowl, mix together the juice of the canned pineapple, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch or flour, sugar and sugar substitute, ginger and red pepper flakes. Mix well until everything is dissolved. Using a wire whisk or fork helps to incorporate the cornstarch. Pour sauce over pork and vegetables. Add canned pineapple chunks and mix well. Cover.
- Cook on high heat for 2¾ hours or on low heat for 5½ hours. Note: Every brand of crock-pot is a little different so the time may vary a bit.
- Just before serving, add cabbage to a microwave-safe bowl and cook in microwave for 2-3 minutes until soft.
- To serve: Divide cabbage among 5 bowls or plates. Top each with about 1 cup sweet and sour pork.
- This dish freezes great. Mix together the pork and cooked cabbage and freeze in individual servings.
Notes
Makes 5 servings (1 cup sweet and sour pork and steamed cabbage)
Healthy Benefits
Pork tenderloin is a very lean meat choice. It’s a good source of B vitamins. It also contains thiamin, magnesium, iron and zinc, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B-6. When it comes to thiamin, pork tenderloin is one of the best natural sources and the meat contains nearly half of the recommended daily allowance of niacin.
Shopping Tips
Most supermarkets sell pork tenderloin. I bought mine at Trader Joe’s. Ginger (in a jar) is a terrific product and can be found in the produce section of the supermarket. Store the jar in the refrigerator.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 7-Blue
WW SmartPoints 7-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 7
Healthy Benefits
Pork tenderloin is a very lean meat choice. It’s a good source of B vitamins. It also contains thiamin, magnesium, iron and zinc, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B-6. When it comes to thiamin, pork tenderloin is one of the best natural sources and the meat contains nearly half of the recommended daily allowance of niacin.
Shopping Tips
Most supermarkets sell pork tenderloin. I bought mine at Trader Joe’s. Ginger (in a jar) is a terrific product and can be found in the produce section of the supermarket. Store the jar in the refrigerator.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 7-Blue
WW SmartPoints 7-Green
WW POINTS PLUS 7
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 cup serving sweet and sour pork and steamed cabbage 261 calories, 4g fat, 2g sat fat, 24g prot, 36g carbs, 5g fiber, 676mg sod, 19g sugar |
| FACTS: for 1 Freestyle SmartPoints 196 calories, 2g sat. fat, 18g sugar, 20g protein |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 1cupCalories: 261kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 24gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 676mgFiber: 5gSugar: 19gBlue Smart Points: 7Green Smart Points: 7Plus Points: 7
